Lothlorien Under Attack
by El-Sarsy
Summary: This takes place during the War of the Ring. According to Tolkien, Lothlorien is attacked three times. This is the start of the first assault.
1. The Decision

Authors Note: I do not OWN Lord of the Rings. I never have and never will. This is just a borrowing of Tolkien's masterful characters. 

Herendil ran swiftly along the imperceptible path, his red and gold armour glittering in the first rays of the sun. Ever since he had been promoted to Captain of the Golden Wood, his responsibilities had increased. He had just gotten a report from a border scout and was taking the report to the Lord and Lady. He arrived at the gates of Caras Galadhon and they opened soundlessly as he approached. He slowed down as the towering _mallorn_ trees, with their sprawling roots, could easily trip him up. And this was not a message that could wait.

As he reached the base of the _mallorn_ that housed his Lord and Lady, he took a quick breather lest he faint upon the almost never-ending staircase that wound it's way around the almighty _mallorn_. As he started climbing, he could hear the population of Caras Galadhon awakening and beginning their day. He could hear the waterfalls of Varda roaring when he was on one side of the tree and could hear singing from the Elves below on the other side. Eventually, he reached the start of the roofed section of the staircase, indicating that he was nearing the pinnacle of the _mallorn_.

He reached the end of the staircase and paused for a few seconds. He hastily readjusted his tunic and armour then took several breaths. He thought briefly "That staircase is extremely difficult work." He stepped up onto the platform of the royal _talan_ and announced himself to one of Lord Celeborn's aides. "I wish to see the Lord and Lady. It concerns urgent news from a border scout." The aide bowed and said, "I shall inform the Lord and Lady. Please, move into the audience chamber." The aide then left Herendil in the entrance to the Royal dwellings.

Herendil stood momentarily, adjusting to the brightness of the rooms. After the sporadic rays of light in the forest and upon the _mallorn_, this light was quite intense. He walked to a door on the left of the platform, adorned in a trailing pattern of a vine. The vine had gold leaves on a silver vine, a dual connection to the light of the Two Trees of Valinor, Laurelin and Telperion. He turned the unadorned handle and walked through. As he entered, he realised that no matter how many times he saw this room, he would always be amazed by it. It was an expansive room. There was room to seat a hundred comfortably at least. The roof was designed out of wood that interlocked in intricate curls. The sunlight poured through and struck the walls, which had been adorned in the same design as the door. The two thrones dominated the far end of the hall.

Herendil strode towards the thrones but halted about 15 metres away. He waited for Lord Celeborn's aide to return and busied himself studying the thrones. These were thrones, which were luxurious & elegant, that emitted an aura of power. The platform they stood upon towered above the rest of the audience chamber. They were constructed out of the finest _mallorn_ timber ever found. It had been salvaged from a _mallorn_ that had been struck by a boulder falling from the Misty Mountains. At least, that's what Herendil had always been told. The arms and seats were dyed with a bright white and edged with silver. The thrones had been constructed so that the top of them caught the light of sun, moon or stars. At this moment, the gold on the chairs stood out most prominently. Herendil had only been here at night once before and the silver had twinkled with the light of the moon and stars.

As he mused upon this, Lord Celeborn's aide returned through a door on the floor and to the right of the thrones. He bowed to Herendil and announced in a clear voice, "The Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel." He stepped aside as two figures walked through the open doorway. The figures were emitting a faint glow, as if they had the ability to not only absorb light, but to give out light as well. Herendil averted his eyes and bowed momentarily before straightening up. He cleared his throat and said, "My Lord and Lady, I have some disturbing news that has recently arrived from a border scout."

Lady Galadriel spoke in the soft, but imperative, voice she had, "Well, what is the news that brings our Captain to our chambers so early?"

"This news concerns the Eastern side of the river." Herendil said. "We have reports of a massive army, numbering several thousands at the very least. This army is bearing the banner of Sauron the Deceiver."

Celeborn and Galadriel, standing as still as stone, made no movement. Celeborn asked Herendil, "How old is this information?"

"Half a night at most. It was passed along through the scouts to me. They say that the army has not yet entered our borders but if they do, they must first cross the Anduin to launch a proper invasion. So we have a bit of time on our hands."

Celeborn glanced at his wife and said, "Herendil, surely you are exhausted by your journey. Take the morning refreshment with us and we will discuss the matters further. Please take off your armour and leave it in the care of Silyavan." He indicated the elf that served as his aide. "Join us as soon as you are ready." Celeborn bowed out of the way for Galadriel as she passed behind the thrones and through an opening. Celeborn followed his wife out through the gap, leaving Herendil with Silyavan.

Herendil seemed slightly shocked by their unperturbed reaction to this distressing news. He took his sword from his side and handed it to Silyavan. He took his knife out of its sheath and passed that. He took his arm greaves and leg greaves off and also gave them over. He relished the freedom of breathing to his legs and his arms. Silyavan took his armour away through another door where it would presumably be cleaned, not that it needed it much. He stretched his arms and followed his Lord and Lady through the doorway they had passed.

He found himself out on the wide balcony of the royal _talan_. At the moment, the sun was streaking through the foliage of the trees and lighting up Caras Galadhon like an inner light. Herendil could see down to the forest floor where fellow Elves were going around their various occupations. He saw his Lord and Lady seated at a large table off to the side of the balcony. He walked over, bowed, and then took a seat. "Once again, the Elves of Lothlorien show their fascination with _mallorn_ trees" Herendil thought as he felt the soft texture of the chair he had chosen.

Lady Galadriel was the first to speak after Herendil had taken his seat. She leaned forward; fingers interlaced, and asked Herendil, "About this army. Where are they currently camped?"

Herendil thought about it, and then replied with, "They are, or were, just arriving on the edge of the River Anduin where the Celebrant and Nimrodel join with the Anduin. For them to cross the Anduin, they must craft a large fleet of boats and be able to successfully journey across the Anduin. As we all know, the Anduin is not a slow river, especially where the waters of the Celebrant and Nimrodel join the Anduin. It is a particularly dangerous area for boating."

Lord Celeborn now spoke, "If the numbers are correct, which knowing our border scouts they would be, they would have to wait for the boats to be crafted. Did the scout make any mention of their carrying boats?"

Herendil said, "None that could be seen. However, they had brought axes and crude saws. Their intent of invasion is obvious. They had been seen thoughtlessly uprooting trees as well as setting alight to them. The fires were quelled because obviously the commanders didn't want to lose all their men to sheer stupidity." Herendil rolled his eyes, "Not that the commanders are much smarter than the rabble."

"This is indeed distressing news" Celeborn said. He pondered silently and then spoke again. "Herendil, take the most stealthy Rangers to the harbour and take several boats. Go across the river and see what damage you may do. We will decide further on this as new reports reach us. Fare thee well Herendil." Celeborn inclined his head slightly to Herendil.

Galadriel looked at Herendil in that most penetrating of gazes, and Herendil heard her voice inside his head, _"Go with the goodwill of Galadriel, Lady of Light, and of all Elves in Lorien"_. Herendil bowed to both his Lord and Lady, turned out of the room and walked to gather his armour.

As he walked down the _talan_ steps, he mused on the strategies he had been taught in long years gone by. He thought, "I only hope, that their commanders are as stupid as the men. If so, we may just have a chance of doing some damage."


	2. The Recruitment

Herendil descended the smooth staircase of the royal _talan_ and thought whilst his feet carried him down. He was contemplating which of the Rangers he should take for the raid. He also had to ponder on what he was going to do if the Orcs constructed boats and actually did invade the Golden Wood. His stream of consciousness was interrupted when his feet connected with the ground.

He became more aware of his surroundings and opened his ears to the sounds of the forest. There was the natural sound of the rivers of Lothlorien, the Nimrodel and the Celebrant. There was the slight hint of a wind blowing through the tall _mallorn_ trees, coming from the East. Herendil took a deep breath and, on the wind, he could taste a slight foul smell. A smell of burning. Herendil shuddered, and headed towards the headquarters and training grounds of the Lothlorien Guard.

The Guard comprised numerous different branches of Elves. There were the Rangers, who were the border-watchers, with exceptional skill at moving silently and accuracy. There was the Caras Galadhon Guard, who guarded the gates and restricted places of Caras Galadhon. There was also a group called, quite simply, the Arm of Lothlorien. This was the main military force of the Golden Wood. If Lothlorien ever went to war, this would be the force sent away.

Herendil was nearing the _talan_ of the Lothlorien Guard when the sounds of clashing swords became evident. He smiled as he thought of the rigorous hours of training one was required to do in the Guard. He walked on and other sounds could be heard. A faint sound of impacting arrows reached Herendil's ears. He thought, "That would be the Rangers'. He descended a short staircase and came out in the courtyard. From this courtyard one could choose which part of the Lothlorien Guard to go to.

Herendil looked at the 3 doors that lead away from the courtyard. The centre one had the banner of Lothlorien hanging over. On the door was a golden _mallorn_ tree flanked by a bow and a sword. It was obvious, especially so to Herendil, that this door lead to the Arm of Lothlorien, their offices and their training grounds. The right-hand door was emblazoned with dual swords. They were carved elegantly into the wood and there were miniature sparks flashing from the two blades. The left-hand door was the one Herendil was interested in. It had a large bow carved into the wood with all of the filigree design that one found on the real bows. There was also a quiver, which had only the fletching of the arrows showing.

Herendil strode towards this door, reached out for the handle and turned it. He pushed the door inwards, strode in and then closed it. He had just walked into the foyer of the Rangers. To the left was the office of the Rangers. This was where the names of all Rangers and other various details involving experience and skill. Herendil strode towards the office and as he did, he got a momentary glimpse of the training grounds. There were about 5 Rangers all lined up, with one Captain standing behind them. The Rangers had their arrows nocked to the string and were preparing to pull back. "Aim!" split the silence, which was then followed quickly by a "Release!" command. All 5 Rangers let go simultaneously and 5 arrows quickly embedded themselves in the targets at the end of the training ground. All of them had hit the rocks off the set of short poles they had been placed upon.

It startled Herendil to realise how accurate they were and how effective they would be at disposing of some of the Orc filth on their borders. He continued on as he heard the order, "Nock!" He came across the Elves who worked in the office. Everyone knew that, even though these Elves worked in the office, they were still as proficient with the weapon of the group as most others. Everyone was made to take a shift in the office to give people time to practice and hone their skills rather than being cooped up for too long.

He walked up to the Elf who was seated at the large table, which dominated the centre of the office. The two other Elves, who were standing around the walls filing away various sheets, bowed to Herendil. The Elf, who was seated, rose and bowed. Herendil knew all three of these Elves. The two standing up were Anariel and Herisilmë. They were both female and almost equally matched in skill with the bow. They would occasionally have a competition and the winner would always win by the narrowest of margins. The Elf sitting down was called Malostir. He was one of the oldest Elves in Middle-Earth, having seen Valinor and the Light of the Two Trees.

Herendil greeted them with, "Mae govannen" and gestured for them to continue with their jobs. He sat next to Malostir and asked quietly, "The Lord and Lady have asked for me to take the most accurate Rangers for a quick expedition across the river. There is a large force of Orcs just across the Anduin. I was hoping to be able to cause some problems in their camp."

Malostir stopped writing on the scroll and looked at Herendil. "Ah, so you want the best of the best. When are you leaving?"

Herendil said, " As soon as they are ready to leave. Preferably soon. As we both know, Orcs don't do that well in the sunlight."

"Of course. Well, you'll need Anariel and Herisilmë for starters. They are probably the most accurate Rangers we've ever had. And they'll be good at making sure everyone understands your orders and tactics." Malostir said, gesturing towards the two ladies still filing away scrolls.

Herendil glanced at them and said, with a sigh, "If I must. You are sure that they're not going to chat away whilst we're stalking?"

Malostir chuckled as he remembered back to when he taught Herendil. Herendil was in the same class as Anariel and Herisilmë. Whilst he tried his hardest to concentrate on the lesson, Anariel and Herisilmë became good friends and always talked. Oh, they were good, but they were rarely quiet. "Well, I can't ENTIRELY guarantee that. But, they have quieted down a bit."

"Ok then." Herendil said. "Who else do you have that's of a decent calibre?"

Malostir thought on that. "Well, there is Palarran. He is another excellent shot. The only other person I can think of apart from those three would have to be Salmar. He may not be the most accurate but he certainly kills quickly if he is. He is the fastest in terms of firing arrows."

Herendil was pondering how best to plan this attack. He got to his feet and bowed to Malostir. "Thank you very much for your help." He turned to Anariel and Herisilmë and bowed to them as well. "Ladies, Malostir will inform you about the plan." He turned back to Malostir and said, "If you could, get them to assemble by the Harbour Courtyard preferably within two hours."

Herendil spun around, his red cloak flowing behind as he walked out of the Rangers offices. Anariel and Herisilmë started chattering away interestedly while Malostir sighed. He knew he would have to wait at least 10 minutes before the ladies would remember that Malostir had to tell them exactly what they were doing. He wrote two messages down whilst the ladies were still chatting, called in a young Ranger, who was on Messenger Duties. He told the boy to take these messages to the Housing quarters. "Number 67 and 83. Don't forget."


End file.
